An Alternative Ending to Mortal Kombat 9
by Snafu the Great
Summary: The actions that stem following Sindel's deadly attack on the Forces of Light were near-catastrophic. But what if Johnny Cage fought the rampaging Edenian Queen whilst his inborn powers went haywire? A look as to how this simple act can change the timeline that not even Raiden himself did not see coming.


**An Alternative Ending to Mortal Kombat 9**

A Mortal Kombat One-Shot

Originally Posted Under **One-Shot Frenzy** by KynthiaOlympia

By Snafu the Great

Disclaimer: Mortal Kombat belongs to Netherrealm Studios. Originally, as seen in the title, this was posted under KynthiaOlympia's One-Shot Frenzy. However, the story was taken down. Originally, this was the basis of a fanfic called 'Avengers Kombat,' in which the events of MK9 take place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I ultimately scrapped it. I did, however, kept the idea of doing a MKxMarvel crossover down the line. However, the omake in which Kano was killed by the Punisher came from 'Avengers Kombat.' So I've decided to repost it here. Enjoy.

CANON DIVERGEANCE! Shao Kahn's Invasion takes place in Deacon City (MK: Legacy reference). This time, however, Johnny Cage's inborn powers go haywire (as seen in his MK9 ending), which leads to him vaporizing Sindel (but not before she kills Cyber Subzero and Smoke). This also leads to him and Sonya not only hooking up sooner. This also leads to them not only getting married, but as a result of Jax being alive and still in command of S-F, their marriage is more stable.

About Johnny Cage's Home: Rather than have him inside a mansion, I had him placed inside a condo, as part of the inspiration came from the Mortal Kombat X Comics. Only this time, Johnny's home is inside a converted warehouse. So looking around online, I found the location in which to model Johnny's home after. The converted warehouse in question is located in Abbotsford, a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Austrailia, and consisted of two floors. Here, Johnny's condo is three floors (garage, living quarters with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and workout room). The home was also seen in Mortal Kombat: Consequences

The Sanctuary, right after beating down the Cyber Lin Kuei...

Sindel announced her arrival via Banshee Scream, now multiplied tenfold after absorbing the souls of Shang Tsung and the countless warriors whose souls he had consumed in the past five hundred years. The Special Forces operative, Lieutenant Sonya Blade and the Deacon City police officer Kurtis Stryker, were pushed back to the stairwell by the force of the scream. The mechanized Kuai Liang - Cyber Subzero - was able to generate an ice shield to counter the scream.

Princess Kitana's best friend, Jade, was barely able to ward off the attack as best she could with her staff. Sonya's commanding officer and longtime friend, Major Jackson Briggs, was barely able to stand, while the movie star, Johnny Cage, was able to keep his balance by holding onto one of Jax's arms. The Lakota shaman, Nightwolf, was the only one unaffected by the scream.

'Well, she knows how to make an entrance,' Johnny thought.

"Come forward, if you dare!" Sindel taunted. "I shall finish what the Lin Kuei could not!"

Almost immediately, the Warriors of Light quickly come together. Johnny, on the other hand, had a serious problem. It had started back on Shang Tsung's Island. Normally, he was able to control his inborn powers, due to his years of martial arts training. Now...it was as if he was unable to control it. It was as if he was a dam, ready to burst. And you really didn't want to be around when he went off like a hand grenade.

"Let's do this!" Jax shouted.

"Attack!" Nightwolf shouted, energy tomahawks in his hands.

The shaman charged in first. However, Sindel, parries the attack and Nightwolf dropped like a sack of potatoes from a superpowered punch to the face. Johnny tries his luck next, but Sindel blocked his attacks, and Johnny found himself locked in an arm-bar. The empowered Edenian Queen then drove her knee into his torso, forcing him to double over, which is followed by a hard punch to the face, knocking him over, the blow knocking off his sunglasses, of which Sindel crushed under her foot.

As Johnny tried to shake the cobwebs out of his head - and fighting to regain control of his powers - Kuai Liang attacked next. However, Sindel blocked his attack, and stunned him with a hard punch to his face. Following the rabbit punch, shechambered her fist back and plants the cyber ice-ninja with a vicious uppercut that destroyed his mainframe, his body flying away, crashing into Kitana and Jade.

"Kuai Liang!" Smoke shouted. He turned to Sindel. "Murderer!"

The Czech-born Lin Kuei found his kick swatted to the side by Sindel. When he went for another kick, Sindel grabbed his leg and planted one booted foot into his crotch. Smoke would become the second casualty, the victim of a broken neck.

Sonya attempted to attack, but she was knocked to the ground. Sindel stood over the blonde officer, foot raised, preparing to drive the heel into her throat...

...just as she was knocked to the wall, from a dropkick by Johnny Cage.

Jax and Kabal quickly recovered Sonya, but even their eyes were on the action star. He was doubled over, as if he was in pain, until he rose back to his full height. But that was not what had the surviving warriors in shock.

From head to toe, his body was enshrouded in energy. It was the color of emerald, but now, red was starting to seep through. Within seconds, the emerald was replaced with crimson.

Johnny looked at his glasses, then back at Sindel. "Those...were $500 sunglasses asshole," he snarled.

Sindel responded by firing off a fireball from her mouth. Much to her surprise – as well as Nightwolf and the others - Johnny swatted it to the side. Then Sindel levitated herself into the air, and dove like a hawk, fingernails extended, ready to tear Johnny limb from limb.

But Johnny countered with a Flip Kick, cracking Sindel's jaw. As Sindel fell back to the ground, Johnny landed on his feet, and performed a Shadow Uppercut, the afterimages crimson.

Johnny stumbled upon landing on his feet. He didn't know how much longer he could control his powers. He just hoped that Nightwolf and the others can kill Sindel should he fail. He closed in the distance...only for Sindel to snap forward in a front handspring, which was followed by a hand-less somersault that knocked Johnny back.

But Johnny recovered, just as Sindel fired off a punch at his head, hoping to cave it in. Johnny grabbed the wrist with one hand and used his other to snap Sindel's arm in a bonebreaker move. Then he did the same with Sindel's other arm, right before unleashing a barrage of brutal punches that ruptured organs and broke bones in her torso.

This, of course, was about the same time that Raiden and Liu Kang had just returned from their meeting with the Elder Gods, just in time to see Johnny grab Sindel by the throat and lift her into the air. Crimson energy in the form of lightning began to dance around Johnny's body.

"By the Elder Gods...!" Liu gasped.

Raiden's eyes narrowed, then widened as he realized what was going to happen next. "Everyone! Get down...!"

The thunder god, however, was a fraction of a second too late. It was as if a hand grenade had went off, the blast wave knocking down those who were on their feet.

Sindel's agonized screams were heard throughout the Sanctuary. As Raiden and the others watched through shielded eyes, both Johnny and Sindel were engulfed in a pillar of crimson light. Soon, Sindel's screams went silent, and the pillar of energy dissipated, leaving only Johnny Cage holding a red-tinted skeleton in his hands. The crimson hue surrounding Johnny reverted back to green, then faded away.

Johnny dropped the skeleton, the bones turning to dust upon impacting the ground. The action star felt drained, his limbs heavy. He turned from Sindel's remains and faced the others. Kitana had ran past him and was on her knees, staring numbly at the pile of dust that was her mother, tears running down her face.

Raiden walked over to Kitana and placed one hand on her shoulder. "I am sorry for your loss."

He was most surprised when Kitana had swatted his hand away as if she had been burned. "Don't...touch me," she hissed. She turned back to her mother's remains. "My mother is dead."

Raiden decided to leave Kitana be for the time being. He turned back to Johnny, who was being approached by Nightwolf, followed by Stryker, Jax and Sonya.

"Johnny Cage...are you alright?" Raiden asked.

Johnny was woozy on his feet. Had the situation not been so serious, Raiden and the others would have told him that whatever had happened had burned off the tattoo on his chest. "I don't feel so good," he said. "Gonna have to...sleep this off..."

Those were his last words before keeling over. But before he landed on the ground, Nightwolf and Jax caught him, and gently placed him on his back. Stryker crouched down and checked for a pulse. "He's alive."

"Not for long!" Kitana's enraged voice came from behind them. "I'll kill him!"

"No!" Jade shouted, grabbing her friend, as did Liu.

"Damn you, Jade! Let me go! He killed my mother!" Kitana shouted as she tried to break free.

"That wasn't your mother, Kitana!" Jade shouted. "She had been corrupted by Shao Kahn and had been sent to kill us all! If it wasn't for Cage, we would all be dead!" She pointed to the bodies of Subzero and Smoke. "Look what she had done to the Lin Kuei!"

Kitana tried to break free, but in the end, she stopped, her fans falling to the floor. Jade released her, as did Liu, who found himself ensnared in a bear hug, Kitana wailing into his chest. He shot Raiden a nasty look as he consoled the grief-stricken Edenian princess.

* * *

Deacon City Municipal Hospital, three days later...

Deacon City Municipal Hospital was one of four hospitals in the city. It was fortunate that all four medical centers had been upgraded modernized before Shao Kahn's invasion. The other three hospitals were being used as treatment and triage centers for the injured civilians, while Deacon City Municipal was being used to treat the injured military and police officers who were injured in the invasion.

Johnny Cage was fortunate to be given a private room on the top floor. The room had a bed, which Johnny himself was resting in. A couch was placed in front of the window, which was currently being occupied by Sonya Blade, who was stretched out across it, fast asleep. Nightwolf was seated in a chair across from the bed, absorbed in his book, his head bandaged.

A groan from Johnny caught the shaman's attention. Sonya continued to sleep. "Ohh...my head..." groaned Johnny as he came to. It took his eyes a moment to focus. "Oh. Wonderful. An unknown ceiling," he grumbled.

"So you're finally awake," Nightwolf said as he closed his book. "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone just tap-danced all over my skull with a pair of steel-toed boots," Johnny replied. As he sat up, he took notice of what it looked like a leather charm bracelet with beads on his left wrist. "The hell is this?"

"Think of it as a power limiter of sorts," Nightwolf explained. "Do you remember what happened before you lost consciousness?"

Johnny nodded. His throat was dry. "The Lin Kuei attacking...then Sindel. Subzero and Smoke...dead. Then she was about to kill Sonya. All the while, I was in and out of control of my powers."

"Your little...'outburst' resulted in several concussions," Nightwolf noted, "Myself included."

Johnny winced. "Sorry."

"Between the concussion and death, I'd gladly take the former. It also confirms what Haokah has long since suspected about you in regards to your powers."

"Humor me."

"According to Haokah, you are descended from a Mediterranean warrior cult, one whose sole purpose was to train and breed fighters for the gods," explained the shaman. "Your powers were triggered when you saw Sonya in mortal danger."

Johnny took the news well. "Had you told me about this before I signed up to defend the Earth, I'd probably think that you were pitching an idea for a film script to me. Guess this explains why I like Mediterranean food." He looked over at Sonya.

Nightwolf answered his unspoken question. "She's been keeping a vigil over you for the past three days."

Johnny smiled. It wasn't his signature, cocky smirk, but rather a warm, genuine smile. Then he turned back to Nightwolf. "Three days? That's how long I was out?"

"Yes. The invasion is over. Shao Kahn is dead."

"Thank God. Liu did him in?"

"No. Haokah did. He figured it out. The invasion itself was not illegal, only the merging of the realms."

Johnny put two and two together. "Raiden surrendered Earthrealm and Kahn decided to merge Earthrealm with Outworld without going through the proper motions."

Nightwolf nodded. "Which was in violation of Mortal Kombat. And for that, the Elder Gods destroyed him."

"Where's Liu?"

"In Outworld. With Kitana and Jade. Kitana wanted your head for killing Sindel. Liu had relinquished his title as Earthrealm's champion."

"So she's the new Empress of Outworld?"

"No. She plans on undoing the sorcery which binds Edenia to Outworld. She plans on ruling Edenia as its Queen, with Liu as her consort."

"Lucky him."

"As for you...Haokah is sending you to Seido, where you will learn how to control your powers. If all goes as planned, you will transform into a warrior powerful beyond mortal imagining."

"Seido?" Johnny repeated.

"The Realm of Order. You will be trained by Hotaru, Commander of the Seidan Guard." Nightwolf stood up, walked over to Sonya, and gently shook her shoulder. "He's awake."

Almost immediately, Sonya was alert. Nightwolf took that moment to leave the room. Sonya took a moment to stretch, yawning, before turning her attention to the bedridden actor.

"Hey," Johnny greeted.

"Hey. How do you feel?" Sonya asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Head's killing me," the actor replied. "The shaman said you've been here for the entire time since I was out cold. He's filled me in on what happened after I passed out."

Sonya nodded. "Yeah. I was. You saved not only my life, but the others as well."

"Wish I could have done the same for Subzero and Smoke."

"Their deaths wasn't your fault, Johnny."

Johnny looked at her. Then he chuckled. "What?" Sonya asked. "Did I say something funny?"

"You called me 'Johnny.'"

"That is your name, isn't it?"

"John Carlton," admitted Johnny. "That's my real name. Johnny Cage is my screen name."

"You're full of surprises, Johnny," Sonya said. "The fight with Sindel...it's probably the first time that I've seen you act so..."

"Selfless?" Johnny guessed.

Sonya nodded. "Yeah. Selfless."

The genuine smile was back on his face. "Is that a hint of admiration I hear in your voice, Lieutenant?"

"Major. Jax and I got promoted. We both skipped a rank. He's a Colonel now, and I'm a Major."

"Congratulations, Major. I mean it," Johnny said. He then adjusted himself in his bed. "Since you're here, there's something I want to ask."

"What?" asked Sonya.

"I'm being sent to Seido in order to better control my powers. Once I come back and before we go our separate ways, would you...I mean, may I treat you to dinner and a movie?" asked Johnny.

"You're asking me out on a date, Mr. Cage?" Sonya asked.

"That I am, Miss Blade."

Sonya took a minute to give her response. "So long as it's not one of your movies."

Johnny grinned. "Can't win them all. You got a deal."

* * *

Outside of Johnny Cage's condo – Venice Beach, California. About four months later…

Sonya had to admit that Johnny had a nice little setup.

She was expecting a multi-million dollar mansion when she arrived. Instead, he lived in a three-story warehouse that Johnny had bought out and converted into his condo. Sonya had to admit to herself that she liked the setup Johnny had. The first floor served as the garage. The second floor was the condo itself, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and twice as big as any other condo in L.A. But the third floor was Sonya's favorite – a workout center, complete with weights, punching bags, a treadmill, and MMA mats fashioned into an impromptu ring.

The date was supposed to be a one-time thing. But Sonya felt...drawn to Johnny. It scared her. And for some odd reason, she liked it. Here she was, formerly a Lieutenant in the Marines, now having transferred to the Army alongside Jax, and she was in a relationship with John Carlton, of all people. Suffice to say, Johnny was very surprised when Sonya had asked him out on a second date. He agreed.

For four months, they dated, keeping one step ahead of Jax and of the news reporters that occasionally hounded Johnny. Sonya suspected that Raiden and Nightwolf both knew. After Liu had relinquished his title of Raiden's champion and left for Edenia with Kitana, Johnny had been named champion. And now, Rebecca Carlton, Johnny's 15-year-old sister, knew about them as well, having caught them in bed together several weeks earlier.

Their last date had ended up with the both of them in bed together. Sonya had left shortly afterward. And it was because of that night together that she was back at Johnny's home.

She had a key, but chose to call Johnny and let her know that she was coming. Which is why she had her phone out, and dialing his number. After several rings, Johnny's sister picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Rebecca? It's Major Blade. Is Johnny there?"

"Yeah, he's here. Hold on. Johnny! Phone!"

Seconds later, Johnny's voice was on the other end. "No solicitors, unless you're from the studio..."

Sonya cut him off. "It's me."

"Sonya? Come on up. I just got out of the shower."

To gain access to the condo, you needed to enter through the garage, which was located on a side street. Sonya knew the passcode, as Johnny had told her. From the garage, she took the elevator to the condo itself, where Johnny waited for her, in nothing but a towel, drying out his hair. His teenage sister, Rebecca Carlton, was at the dining room table, studying for her exams, earbuds in her ear, grooving to the music on her MP3 player, ignoring both her brother and Sonya.

Sonya gave him the once-over. "This is how you greet your guests, Cage?" she asks with a raised eyebrow.

Johnny grinned. "Only the pretty ones," he replied, the towel he used to dry his hair now draped around his neck.

"Ugh," Sonya groaned. "We need to talk."

"The phrase every guy is dying to hear. Come in. Let me get dressed first." He stepped to the side, allowing Sonya to enter.

* * *

Fresh from the shower, Johnny walked over to Sonya, two cups of herbal tea in his hands. The blonde major had taken a seat on the couch, her expression pensive. The actor had donned a fresh pair of track pants and a T-shirt with the words 'I'M KIND OF A BIG DEAL!' emblazoned on the front. He handed one of the cups to Sonya, who nodded her thanks and took a sip.

"This is unexpected," Johnny said as he sat down on the opposite end. "You left the last time without trying my famous shadow pancakes." Johnny paused as he looked at Sonya. "Is everything okay? Sonya? Come on, babe. Talk to me."

She shot him a scathing glare. "Didn't I tell you not to call me that?"

"It got a reaction out of you, didn't it?" he replied, looking smug. "So what's bothering you?"

"For once," Sonya said, pressing a finger to Johnny's lips. "Shut up." She then uttered two words that would forever change their lives. "I'm pregnant."

Johnny moved Sonya's hand from his lips. "You're pregnant?" he repeated. When Sonya nodded, he asked, "How long?"

"Three weeks."

Now Johnny's expression mirrored that of Sonya's. "Well...this definitely changes things. So what do we do now?"

Now it was Sonya's turn to look shocked. "What?"

She was half-expecting Johnny to deny that he had knocked her up. His question had pretty much caught her off-guard. She had seen it happen in the past with some of the enlisted personnel, and a couple of the officers as well. To her, a deadbeat parent was the worst kind of person. Only Kano had them beat by a margin.

"You thought I would just ditch you after I knocked you up, didn't you? That I would just abandon you and the kid?"

Sonya's shoulders slumped. "Yeah. I did."

"Well, I'm not," Johnny said. "Does Jax know?"

Sonya shook her head in the negative.

Johnny sighed. "Well...at least Jax was able to get El Toro as the new S-F base," he mused. He looked at Sonya, contemplating his next question. 'Eh, screw it,' he thought. 'Might as well jump in with both feet.'

"What would you say if I asked you to marry me?"

For the second time in less than five minutes, Sonya had a look of shock on her face. "What?"

"Call me old-fashioned, but I don't want to have kid out of wedlock," Johnny admitted.

For Sonya, her respect towards her boyfriend had went up several notches.

"We've been dating for over four months and we trust each other, so that's a good as start as any." He took her hands and held them gently. "I would like to give this a shot, Sonya."

"You're serious?" Sonya asked. "If this is one of your stunts, Johnny..."

This time, it was Johnny who had silenced Sonya with a finger to her lips. "Sonya...now it's time for you to shut up." He removed his finger. "You said that you would give me the time of day if I was serious about us. I'm being serious now. Look at my parents. They're been married for almost 30 years. If anything, we can learn from them. You compromise with me, and I'll do the same with you. I'm not going to give up acting, nor will I force you to give up your military career. Face it, we'd both be miserable and we suck when it comes to conventional work."

Sonya laughed at that, wiping unshed tears from her face, which held an expression of relief. "Thank you. For not freaking out over this."

"Sonya, we've survived Mortal Kombat Shang Tsung, and Shao Kahn. I think raising a kid would be a walk in the park."

"True. Were you serious about marrying me?"

Johnny nodded. "Of course. Even if you say no, I will do all in my power to support our child and you. You have my word, and I don't break that for nobody."

It took Sonya a moment to make a decision. "I'll do it...under two conditions."

"Name them."

Sonya held up a finger. "First, I don't want no big wedding. Not even a military wedding. A courtroom wedding will do." Her middle finger soon joined her index finger. "And second, I keep my last name."

"I know a guy at the courthouse who owes me a favor. Fair enough. So long as you honor a couple of my own conditions."

Sonya looked at him. "What?"

"First, the child carries both my legal and stage name, in that order. Second, I know you'll put in long hours with the Army. Promise me that you will not forsake our kid's childhood. Because I don't want them not to know their mother, nor how much she can care." Johnny said. "I also know you got trust issues, but all I ask is that you talk to me, open up to me. Just be Sonya when you're around me, not Major Blade. Either that or talk to Vera. I can't promise you a perfect marriage, but as long as you're trying, them I'm staying."

That seemed fair enough, Sonya realized. She extended her hand. "Deal."

Johnny looked at her hand, then he looked back at her. Giving her his signature smirk, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, Sonya letting out a small yelp of surprise.

Sonya's eyes widened as he kissed her. Then she responded to the kiss, eyes fluttering shut, wrapping her arms around his neck. They stayed that way for a long moment, until they broke off the kiss. Johnny noticed that Sonya had moved into his lap during the kiss.

"Doesn't hurt to live in the moment once in a while, Sonya," Johnny said.

"You..." Sonya breathed, "...are the most conceited person I have ever met."

"I get that a lot," Johnny replied, also catching his breath. "Besides, you love it."

"Shut up and kiss me."

"You're real sexy when you're aggressive, you know that?"

Sonya smiled and kissed him again. Meanwhile, Rebecca continued to do her homework, oblivious to the fact that she was about to become an aunt or that her brother was making out with her soon-to-be sister-in-law.

* * *

Three years later (one year after the Netherrealm War).

The two three-year-old girls were fast asleep in their beds; the blonde girl on the left clutching a stuffed teddy bear, while the dark-skinned toddler with her hair braided back held a plushie wolf.

Johnny Cage watched from the doorway as his daughter and niece slept, a smile on his face. Had you asked John Carlton what he would be doing in three years, 'family man' was not on the list. But here he was, married to the woman who held his heart – his 'leading lady' as he liked to call her – and the proud father to a little girl.

Fatherhood had mellowed Johnny out considerably, Raiden and the others realized. That and the trip to Seido also helped. Being a parent had also calmed Sonya down. When it was discovered that Sonya was pregnant with a girl, both her and Johnny discussed names. Then Jax got involved, as he didn't want his soon-to-be niece named something outrageous.

So Johnny and Sonya compromised. Sonya woiuld name their daughter. But it had been Rebecca, who had suggested the name Cassandra for one of their daughter. Johnny liked it, as did Sonya, while Jax and Vera's daughter carried her first name as her middle name, Sonya.

Of course, their little girl carried Johnny's last name as their middle name and his stage name as their last name. Cassandra Carlton Cage, or 'Cassie,' Johnny had joked. Surprisingly enough, the nickname stuck, just as his own nickname for Jax's daughter - 'Jacqui,' short for Jacqueline.

Johnny left his sleeping daughter and niece alone, walked past his and Sonya's bedroom – where Sonya was still in the shower – walked down the stairs, and into the living room, where he sat down on the love seat, exhausted from the day. It had been a long, long day at the film studio, as he just finished putting the final touches on his latest film. Now with filming out of the way, he can finally relax for a couple of months.

Johnny was brought out of his reverie when he felt something soft plop into his lap. Looking down, he saw that it was a pillow. That was followed by his wife's not-so-delicate feet plopping down on said pillow. Colonel Sonya Blade had taken a seat on the opposite end of the love seat, having emerged from the shower, clad in a pair of shorts and a tanktop. Her hair had gotten longer, up to the point that she was now wearing it in a braid.

"They didn't teach you subtlety in officers' school, babe?" Johnny asked.

"Feet hurt. Foot rub. Now," Sonya ordered.

Johnny complied. He began to massage his wife's sore feet. A comfortable silence had settle between the couple. While her husband massaged her feet, Sonya took the moment to reflect.

The day after they had talked, Sonya had chosen her engagement ring – a simple silver band with five small rubies in a row, followed by her wedding ring – a golden band, with five small diamonds in a row. Her engagement ring rested on top of her dogtags, which she still had on at this moment.

As promised, the wedding was a private one, with Johnny's family, Jax and Vera Briggs, Kurtis Stryker, and Nightwolf (representing Raiden) in attendance. The press and all of Hollywood had a field day when it was discovered that Johnny Cage had married a career military woman. They thought it was a publicity stunt. They even had a betting pool over how long it will be before they divorced. Much to their surprise, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade were still together.

A lot has changed these past three years. Hell, even she had changed in the past three years. While Johnny was able to find his center, balancing his career with his family and being Raiden's golden boy, Sonya had found it difficult at first.

But if there was one thing Sonya loved about her husband, it was his patience. Vera had joked that Johnny had the patience of a saint when it came to her. Goes to show that he wanted this marriage to work. Sonya still was stubborn and hard-headed, but she was willing to compromise with her husband on many things. Johnny could have given her the world if asked, but it's the simple things that made her smile, like a rose or the occasional date night.

One time, he visited her at the S-F base in El Toro when she was working late with dinner. Rebecca had been babysitting the girls at the time. Sonya had been working insanely long hours the past month, and Johnny visited her 'just so you don't forget my face.'

Of course, she wasn't complaining about the Mark XIX Desert Eagle he had given her for her birthday. Said firearm was locked away inside their bedroom. Or the custom Harley Softtail motorcycle that he had bought as a replacement for her old bike when it had been stolen and crashed.

Due to Sonya's problems in regards to letting her guard down, Sonya took Johnny's advice and went to Vera. As it turned out Vera Briggs was a psychologist, aside from being the aunt to her and Johnny's daughters. The weekly sessions had helped Sonya out a great deal, and it allowed her to trust Johnny even more.

Sonya's cheeks flushed a light shade of pink as she remembered Vera asking him how Johnny was in bed. It was a question that was off-the-record, but not wanting to give out the more intimate details, Sonya told her friend that Johnny was for lack of a better term, 'amazing.' Sonya was no virgin, as she had been engaged to her first partner, and she had lost her virginity to him. Johnny Cage had blew him out of the water.

"Skillful, but understanding," Sonya had told Vera, off-the-record. "Gentle, but fierce. He can make my body come alive."

That much was true, seeing as how they spent three days in his – no, their – bedroom after they had gotten married. They ended up breaking the bed, but it was worth it. Of course, Johnny had promised her that he would take her on a proper honeymoon once things calmed down.

The public had Johnny Cage, the superstar. But behind closed doors, the man she knew as John Daniel Carlton was hers and hers alone. The same could be said for Sonya. Jax and S-F can have Colonel Blade. Within these walls, the woman Johnny knew as Sonya Alaina Blade was his and his alone.

"I'm starting to think that you only married me because I give the best foot rubs," Johnny mock-pouted, breaking Sonya's reverie.

"No, you married me because you knocked me up," Sonya replied, her tone terse, but her eyes showing amusement. "Tough day at the studio?"

"Woman, you have no idea. How are things coming along with E.S.D.?"

"I'd rather fight Shinnok blindfolded rather than deal with the mountain of paperwork." Sonya drew in a breath as Johnny continued to rub her feet. "At least we managed to perfect the technology in regards to opening portals, thanks to Sub-Zero letting us research the Lin Kuei's tech."

Johnny nodded. Kuai Liang had been slain three years earlier at the hands of Sindel. Whilst in the Netherrealm, Quan Chi had returned him to his human form. Following Shinnok being sealed inside his own amulet, Johnny, Sonya, Stryker and Jax had raided Quan Chi's Netherrealm lair, only to be greeted by the necromancer in question, Sindel, Kung Lao, Subzero and Scorpion.

Johnny had been mortally wounded at the hands of the revenant Lin Kuei, and it took Raiden and an irate Sonya to save Johnny's life. In the process, Raiden had combined Quan Chi's black magic with his own powers to return the two ninjas back to the land of the living. It had been while Johnny was recovering, that they received word of Quan Chi's demise at the hands of Subzero and Scorpion, the former revealing the truth behind the latter's demise and that of his family and of the Shirai Ryu, which was followed by the annihalation of the cyber Lin Kuei, allowing Subzero to take back control of the clan.

Unfortunately, however, Kano and the Black Dragon were still out there. The Black Dragon had gone underground following the failed Outworld Invasion three years earlier. Sonya and Johnny both knew that Kano was the biggest threat both to them and to her and Jax's respective daughters.

"At least we are in agreement that paperwork is the bane of our existence," Johnny said as he switched feet.

Sonya couldn't help but to agree. She had seen some of the paperwork Johnny had brought home. Film contracts, screenplays, etc. "It's one of the reasons why I have an aide to help with the work," she said, grinning. "General Briggs has two." She exhaled sharply. "God, you're so good at that. Keep it up, and we might end up making a sibling for Cassie."

"Wasn't that how we conceived her the first time?" Johnny mused. "It's not like you need an excuse to jump on my bones."

The sharp kick to his thigh made her husband yelp. "Shut up, or else you're sleeping on the couch tonight."

Johnny chuckled. "Yes, dear. You got that two-week leave coming up, right?"

"What about it?" Sonya asked.

"With you and Jax running the E.S.D., and my acting career and being Raiden's point man, not to mention raising our little princess, we never had time for ourselves," Johnny said.

"You're suggesting that we have a little two-week getaway?"

"You know me too well, hon," Johnny replied. "We rent out a small bungalow or a suite under an alias. And I do owe you a proper honeymoon. Never let it be known that I'm not a man of my word."

"Sounds good. What about Cass?"

"We drop them off with my parents. You know I gotta head for New York later on this week, right?"

"I know," Sonya replied. "You got a couple of interviews for your latest movie and you want to check out NYU with Rebecca."

Johnny nodded. His first film after his two-year hiatus was not a martial arts film, but rather a horror film based off the Japanese urban legend Kuchisake-onna, in which he played an American businessman who was trying to save his half-Japanese daughter from the eponymous supernatural killer. That film earned Johnny rave reviews. Then Shinnok's invasion had happened, which had put his next film on hold.

The film he was currently promoting was 'Imi,' a biopic based off the life of Imi Lichtenfeld, the founder of Krav Maga. Sonya had accompanied him to the film premiere. Sonya wasn't too big on attending film premieres with her husband, due to keeping her private life away from the spotlight. But Johnny had asked nicely, and Sonya would attend the occasional film premiere alongside her husband.

Even more surprising was that he hated attending film premieres as well. While some of Hollywood's elite were genuinely nice and Johnny got along with them with little to no problem, most of them were fake. Johnny was more at home with the stuntmen and stuntwomen, as that was where he had gotten his start in the film industry.

"Wanna come with?" Johnny asked. "You can look up the supercop and Kabal while we're up there. Last time I checked, Stryker transferred to the NYPD from Deacon City. Afterward, we can have a nice little night on the town, seeing as how we are overdue on our date night."

That much was true, Sonya realized. Sure they spent time as a family, usually going to the beach, but they rarely had time for each other.

Sonya had forgotten that Kurtis Stryker had transferred to the New York Police Department following the Netherrealm War. When the Special Forces formed Earthrealm Strategic Defense, Jax had asked Kabal and Stryker to join up. Kabal had joined up after Raiden had healed him of his horrific wounds that he had suffered at the hands of Kintaro, swearing loyalty in defending Earthrealm. He was a field agent, his area of expertise being that of the Black Dragon, the former organization that he once was a member of. Stryker, on the other hand, refused the offer. He does, however, serves as their contact in New York.

Sonya took a moment to think on Johnny's proposal. Then she nodded. "Okay. I'll come with you. With that out of the way..." she paused in order to kick the pillow off his lap so she could climb into it. "You know, John...I always wanted to go to Hawaii."

Johnny tilted his head. "I thought you were stationed there in the past."

"I mean, go as a tourist," she said. "Remember you promised that I get to choose where we can go the last time you promised to take me on a vacation? Without the kid?"

"For the record, Colonel, I did not break my promise," Johnny defended. "Shinnok happened."

It was public knowledge that Johnny had fought in the Netherralm War. The official story was that both Johnny and Sonya had been on vacation together in Macau when the invasion had begun. Johnny ended up being gang-pressed into service thanks to his wife. So now, aside from playing heroes in his films (and the occasional bad guy), Johnny Cage was a hero in real life.

Sonya pouted. "Oh. Right. You think Jax wouldn't mind looking after Cassie?"

"We looked after Jacqui when he and Vera took the week off," Johnny pointed out. "And we're doing it again. So he and Vera owes us. Besides, he may not trust me, but he likes playing uncle to Cassie."

"I'd think that Vera would spoil them both rotten. Either her or Jax," Sonya mused, shivering as her husband's hands running along her back. "You know what Jax said about us?"

"Do I want to know?"

"He said that we were wrong for each other from the very start," Sonya said.

"Because I'm a charismatic, talented A-lister and you're a military brat?"

 **WHAP.**

"Ow," Johnny said as Sonya smacked his shoulder.

"The only reason he condones you is because you're Raiden's champion, and that you saved Earthrealm," Sonya continued.

Johnny chuckled. "He also hates the fact that it was me who saved his life, as well as the others. You forgot that I also managed to get you to open up emotionally about your past demons and that I am a good father to the girls." Off Sonya's surprised expression, Johnny shrugged his shoulders. "Dad's a cop, remember? I picked up some of his habits. I observe people."

"I think Jax would like you more if you were a cop," Sonya mused.

Again, her husband mock-pouted. "And rob the cinema world of my magnificence?" he asked, puffing his chest out.

Again, Sonya smacked him on the shoulder. "Get serious, Cage." Or tried to, as Johnny casually swatted her hand away. But she was still smiling. Then she had gotten serious. "But...despite your faults...which are many, I might add...you're a good father to Cassie. And you're a patient husband when it comes to me."

Johnny reached up and tucked back a strand of hair behind his wife's ear. "You're welcome. I should be thanking you as well."

"For what?"

"Just for putting up with me and my crazy life," Johnny replied. "You know I'd do anything for you, even give up my career."

"That would be unfair for you to do that, while I have my own career."

Johnny grinned. "So the hardass colonel can compromise when it comes to her hubby. You're learning."

"Just because you're my husband, doesn't mean that you're not as charming as you think you are, John Carlton," Sonya said in an amused tone.

"Yes I am," the actor replied. "I managed to snag you, didn't I? Besides, you're pretty sexy when you're aggressive."

Sonya flicked his nose. "Smartass."

She then let out a 'eep!' as Johnny goosed her. "Nice ass."

"Oh, that's it!" Sonya shouted. She got out of Johnny's lap and hauled him to his feet. "You and me. Bedroom. Now."

Johnny's grinned widened as he picked Sonya up bridal-style, Sonya responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. Being married sure does have its perks, of which he enjoyed as he carried Sonya to their bedroom.

At least for the both of them, married life was still full of surprises.


End file.
